T is for Trip Planning

As the cold, damp gloom takes over, I begin to plan next year's holidays. It is a lifelong habit, which I began when I was a child, looking through brochures with my mum. Those were the black and white booklets put together by seaside resort councils in the 60's, like Ilfracombe in Devon and the Isle of Wight. We would spend hours poring over it, looking for the perfect 'private hotel', ie. small hotel. In memory of those times, when I saw an old Ilfracombe brochure in a charity shop, I bought it and it could be the one, who knows. But anyway, the Cavendish Hotel is in it, advertising the dancing, among other things redolent of that era. My sister Jenny and I will never forget the laughs we had attempting ballroom dancing to the music of three very aged ladies, who looked as if they'd climbed out of the grave! We had so much fun.

I have always loved holidays, who doesn't, but it is more of an obsession with me! Once I had my own children, the brochures changed to coloured glossies of places abroad, Spain, then Greece and again we had loads of fun planning and then going on family holidays with their dad, Brian.

 Since I met George we have always planned our own holidays on the internet, until this year,  when we happened to find the perfect house in the perfect place with free car hire, so we booked through an online travel agent. it was indeed perfect in every aspect.

Assos

And now we are thinking of next year's holidays, and we want to take Ruby with us, so we are planning to go to France, probably staying in gites in Normandy and Brittany. The basic plan is to drive down, take the Shuttle, so Ruby doesn't have to be left in the car on her own and I don't get seasick, then drive to somewhere in Normandy. We hope to spend a week there, then go on to Brittany for a further week. I have a very longheld wish to go to Giverny, to see Monet's waterlilies in the flesh, so to speak, as I fell in love with them and the garden years ago in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. I'm just not sure it's possible with a Greyhound!

Giverny

I get really nerdy every year, saving accommodation, images of places to visit and articles in folders, but I have to say, we always love every minute of  our trip. It's so exciting and it doesn't half help me (as I'm a dreadful pessimist) to look forward to something positive. Roll on the summer and a happy, doggy holiday!!